In July of 2014 Sonic Enclosures of Delta, BC was approached to build 7 buildings for a pair of new oil sands projects in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The catch was that for Sonic to be able to be competitive in the bidding process, they had to be able to ship the units at the size and weights required by the end user. The original design required for the buildings, was for them to come in at 70’ Long x 16’6” Wide x 14’6” High weighing in at 160,000lbs! This weight that was too heavy for BC highways and wouldn’t have been possible. But for us – doing the impossible is kind of fun!

In August of 2014, Sonic brought Triton in to discuss the feasibility of the project and how it would be possible for the units to be shipped. After dozens of meetings, weeks of re-designs and countless moments where it didn’t seem possible (at some point someone suggested chartering an Antonov airplane to fly them there) a transportation plan was developed that made it feasible for Sonic to win the bid and guarantee transport feasibility.

The plan called for Sonic to complete the building to its full size and then remove two portions of the internal structure of the building. This way, the buildings would be light enough to be shipped through British Columbia to our Edmonton, Alberta facility. The buildings would still have the same dimensions, 70’ L x 16’6” W x 14’6” H but they would be reduced to a weight of 130,000lbs, (which was the determined maximum in British Columbia.) Our expanding perimeter frame 13 axle (Eleanor) would be utilized to transport all of the buildings to Edmonton where they would be unloaded via crane.

Once the first two buildings had arrived in Edmonton, Triton would move the components that Sonic had removed from the buildings to Edmonton and Sonic would mobilize one of their fabrication teams to complete the re-assembly in Alberta.

With the significantly higher weight tolerance allowed in Alberta it would be no issue to move the buildings at there full weight from Edmonton to there final destination near Fort McMurray, AB.

Each building required 2 days of re-assembly, with Sonic utilizing Triton’s facility to complete the re-integration and inspection of the removed components.

When complete, the buildings, now back to their full 160,000lbs weight, would be loaded onto a hydraulic platform trailer (Karolina) and shipped to site for final delivery.

What this project proves is that with the right amount of determination, and a client who is willing to do what is necessary, even a project that initially seemed impossible can be completed.

With the right equipment, the right people and the right plan anything is possible.

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